Drug and Health Education - Exam 1

Question

Answer

What is a psychoactive drug?

A chemical substance that acts on the CNS to alter mood, perception, consciousness, or behavior.

What is the difference between misuse, abuse, and dependence?

Misuse = unintended use; Abuse = causes problems; Dependence = compulsive use despite harm.

Name the five general principles of psychoactive drug use.

1) Dose matters; 2) Drugs not good/bad; 3) Multiple effects; 4) User history/expectations matter; 5) Manner of use matters.

Why is measuring prevalence of illicit drug use challenging?

Because activity is illegal, self-report is unreliable, and some populations underrepresented.

What is the Monitoring the Future Project?

A long-term survey studying drug use trends among students and young adults.

What is a gateway substance?

A substance often used before illicit drugs, e.g. alcohol, nicotine.

Does gateway substance use cause illicit drug use?

No, it is an indicator of risk, not causal.

Name two correlates of drug use.

Poor academics, impulsivity, low parental monitoring, peer drug use, early behavioral problems.

What is the deviant behavior model of drug use?

Drug use is part of a broader pattern of deviant behaviors.

How have U.S. drug use trends changed since 1975?

Some peaked in the 1980s then declined; patterns shift over time.

What role do expectations play in drug effects?

They influence how a person interprets/responds to effects (placebo, tolerance).

What is homeostasis in drug use?

The body’s tendency to maintain stability; drugs disrupt regulation.

Why isn’t drug use purely pharmacological?

Because social, psychological, cultural factors shape use and effects.

What is tolerance?

Needing higher doses for the same effect.

What is sensitization?

Increased responsiveness with repeated exposure.

Why is the moral model inadequate?

It oversimplifies addiction as weakness, ignoring biology/social factors.

What is the disease model of dependence?

Addiction as a medical disease with withdrawal, loss of control.

What are the three main consequences making drug use a social problem?

Toxicity, dependence, crime/violence.

Define acute vs. chronic toxicity.

Acute = single exposure harm; Chronic = repeated long-term harm.

What is behavioral toxicity?

Harmful behavior caused by a drug (e.g. impaired driving).

Why is drug use linked to crime?

Because of illegality, cost-driven theft, and behavior changes.

What is DAWN?

Drug Abuse Warning Network collecting ER data on drug-related visits.

What is regulation’s role in drug problems?

Prevent/reduce harm via controls, policy, enforcement.

What 3 criteria regulate a drug legally?

Purity, safety, effectiveness.

Why easier to regulate pharmaceuticals than illicit drugs?

Because they are labeled, traceable, and legal.

What is instrumental harm in legislation?

Unintended negative effects of laws (e.g. prison crowding).

What is moral entrepreneurship?

Campaigning to define behavior (drug use) as problematic.

How does social conflict affect drug laws?

Laws may reflect power interests, not science.

What is decriminalization?

Removing criminal penalties but not legalizing fully.

How can harm reduction help?

Focus on reducing negative consequences (e.g. needle exchange).

Why are false positives in drug testing a concern?

Because innocents may be wrongly penalized.

What effect has drug-control spending had?

More enforcement, prison, treatment spending.

Public campaigns vs. legal control?

Campaigns shift attitudes; laws enforce penalties.

Difference between possession laws vs. use laws?

Possession = having drugs; Use = consuming drugs.

What was the Pure Food and Drugs Act (1906)?

Law requiring labeling, prohibiting misbranded/adulterated drugs.

What did the Harrison Narcotics Act (1914) do?

Taxed/regulated opiates and coca products; required registration.

Why stricter regulation in early 20th century?

Public health concerns, reform movements, rising recreational use.

What role did Prohibition play?

Banned alcohol, created black markets and enforcement issues.

What was the Controlled Substances Act (1970)?

Categorized drugs into schedules, centralized federal control.

What are Schedules I–V?

I = highest abuse, no medical use; V = lowest abuse.

How has racial bias influenced laws?

Minorities disproportionately targeted, framed as threats.

What is the War on Drugs?

Campaign from 1970s emphasizing enforcement, incarceration.

What is supply vs. demand-side control?

Supply = stop production/distribution; Demand = reduce use via treatment/prevention.

Unintended consequences of prohibition?

Prison crowding, violence, stigma, limited research.

Recent marijuana regulation changes?

Some states legalized/decriminalized medical/recreational use.

What is cannabis rescheduling?

Moving cannabis to a less restrictive schedule federally.

What is harm reduction vs. abstinence debate?

Reduce harm vs. eliminate use entirely.

What did Anti-Drug Abuse Acts (1986/1988) do?

Mandatory minimums, more enforcement funding.

How do international treaties affect U.S.?

Require compliance with conventions, shaping domestic law.

What is penal policy drift?

Laws expand in scope over time beyond intent.

Two major nervous system divisions?

CNS (brain, spinal cord) & PNS.

What is a neuron?

A cell transmitting info via electrical/chemical signals.

What are glial cells?

Support neurons: nourish, maintain, form myelin.

What is a synapse?

Junction where neurotransmitters are released.

What is action potential?

Rapid voltage change propagating along neuron.

What is reuptake?

Neurotransmitters reabsorbed by presynaptic cell.

What is metabolism in neurotransmission?

Enzymatic breakdown of neurotransmitters in synapse.

What is a receptor?

Protein binding neurotransmitters to trigger response.

Agonists vs. antagonists?

Agonists activate; antagonists block receptors.

What is dose-response relationship?

Effect magnitude depends on dose amount.

Why important: route of administration?

Affects speed and amount reaching brain.

What is the blood-brain barrier?

Selective barrier restricting substances into brain.

Role of lipid solubility?

More soluble = crosses BBB easier.

Tolerance at neuronal level?

Neurons adapt, reducing responsiveness.

What is neuronal plasticity?

Brain changes in response to experience/drugs.

What is pharmacokinetics?

What the body does to the drug.

What is pharmacodynamics?

What the drug does to the body.

What is first-pass metabolism?

Drug metabolized in liver before circulation.

What is half-life?

Time for drug concentration to halve.

What are active metabolites?

Drug breakdown products with activity.

What is therapeutic index?

Toxic vs. effective dose ratio; larger = safer.

What is additive effect?

Combined = sum of individual effects.

What is synergistic effect?

Combined > sum of individual effects.

What is potentiation?

One drug enhances effect of another.

What is competitive binding?

Two substances compete for same receptor site.

What is noncompetitive binding?

Drug binds elsewhere, alters receptor function.

What is receptor up/downregulation?

Increase/decrease receptor numbers.

What is cross-tolerance?

Tolerance to one reduces response to another similar drug.

What is metabolic tolerance?

Faster metabolism reduces effect.

What is behavioral tolerance?

Learned behaviors compensate for effects.

What is tachyphylaxis?

Very rapid tolerance within hours.

What is inverse agonist?

Binds receptor, causes opposite of agonist.

What are stimulants?

Drugs increasing CNS activity: alertness, energy.

Name three stimulants.

Cocaine, amphetamines, caffeine, nicotine.

How does cocaine work?

Blocks reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin.

How do amphetamines differ from cocaine?

They block reuptake & increase release of monoamines.

What is crack?

Smokable freebase form of cocaine.

What is amphetamine psychosis?

Psychotic state from high/chronic use.

Therapeutic uses of stimulants?

ADHD, narcolepsy, limited obesity treatment.

Acute risks of stimulants?

Cardiac events, seizures, insomnia, agitation.

Withdrawal symptoms from stimulants?

Fatigue, depression, sleep/appetite issues.

How does caffeine act?

Blocks adenosine receptors (reduces sedation).

What is behavioral reinforcement in stimulants?

Pleasurable effects encourage repeated use.

What is stimulant tolerance?

Greater doses needed over time.